Don't Share Headphones!
Here’s the scenario: Your favorite coworker is in the breakroom laughing up a storm watching a funny Instagram story, and she sees you and immediately hands you an earbud for you to join in on the laughter. What you don’t know is her son came home yesterday with lice, and she has been working day and night to control the infestation… that has now been spread to you.
But wait… head lice on headphones?
The most common way lice are transferred is still from head to head contact. Head lice can spread by sharing helmets, combs, and you guessed it, headphones. Lice rarely live on hard surfaces, and they have a life expectancy of 24 hours. However, they can stay alive long enough on items such as headphones to transfer from one head to another.
To lower your risk of catching lice, advise everyone, even family members, not to share headphones and to always keep them clean. This is especially important where large, over-the-ear headphones are concerned!
